Slovenia Weekly

Time for consensus

12.12.2014

Editorial

New agreement should take into account the interests of the young. Photo: Mostphotos

In accordance with this year’s slogan of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 'Human Rights 365', 10 December – Human Rights Day – should not be very different from any other day. Yet it is a fact that, after all these decades since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, we must still draw attention to respect for basic human rights. Particularly at a time of economic crisis, an individual’s right to personal dignity is often violated in the name of survival and austerity in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, Slovenia is no exception.

Therefore, it is all the more important that at events across Slovenia honouring 10 December some notable speakers focused mainly on the young. According to the President of the National Assembly, Dr Milan Brglez, they are the greatest victims of the economic crisis that has gripped the majority of European countries due to high unemployment and the lack of prospects.

While today’s decision of the Slovenian government denying support to voluntary internship in the public sector and preventing ministries and government offices from concluding such agreements may seem marginal, it is really the first step towards restoring personal dignity to the young, who after their many years of education we increasingly often force to gain their first work experience without pay.

Structural reforms, austerity measures and ambitious investment projects prepared by the government to achieve financial consolidation are essential if Slovenia is to regain the path of economic growth and development. As the Prime Minister Miro Cerar said at the meeting with the President of Slovenia, the President of the National Assembly and the President of the National Council, wide social consensus and cooperation must be reached for their implementation. Such consensus is possible only if the planned changes are tailored to the person, not to the interests of the capital. A new opportunity to find a common vision of Slovenia’s development emerges today, when representatives of the government, the unions and the industry will try again to conclude a social agreement for 2015-2016.

At their regular trilateral meeting that was held in Opatija in Croatia this time, the prime ministers of Slovenia, Croatia and Austria supported the investment plan of the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The three prime ministers assessed that Juncker’s plan provides an excellent incentive to economic development and lowering unemployment in EU member states, while assessing that more than just the Commission’s investment plan is needed for economic growth.
more...

In the recent period, Slovenia has achieved quite positive results. The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD) forecasts growth somewhat above two per cent this year. Yet, as highlighted by IMAD’s director Boštjan Vasle, this is the time to take advantage of the favourable macro-economic situation and introduce structural reforms with long-term positive effects. "Swift and short-term measures should be replaced with measures that yield positive effects in the long run.”
more...

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has prepared the second official proposal of Slovenia’s Rural Development Strategy 2014–2020 (RDS 2014–2020) and referred it to the European Commission for approval. The agriculture minister, Dejan Židan, is satisfied with the second proposal of the RDS and expects it to be labelled ready for adoption by the Commission on 19 December, which would put Slovenia in the first group of countries with a confirmed programme.
more...

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, and his Austrian counterpart, Heinz Fischer, took part in a summit of the presidents of six central European countries – the Visegrad four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) plus Austria and Slovenia – for the first time. President Pahor labelled the two-day summit in Prague a milestone in Slovenia's foreign policy and underlined the importance of Luka Koper port operator.
more...

On the occasion of Human Rights Day, Minister Erjavec and his male colleagues at the Foreign Ministry joined the UN Women #HeForShe Campaign to highlight the significance and role of women in the society. This year, the Foreign Ministry is dedicating Human Rights Day to women's rights, a major priority of Slovenian foreign policy. By joining the UN Women #HeForShe Campaign, the Ministry's male employees have expressed their support for greater gender equality.
more...